Thursday, 18 July 2013

Predictions
that the hot weather will last for 40 days has prompted River Canal Rescue to
remind boaters about the importance of maintaining equipment and carrying
spares - actions which could prevent call-outs for replacement parts.

Last
year River Canal Rescue attended 573 call-outs for part failures and already
this year the assistance firm has seen a spike in cases of broken water
pumps. Parts which commonly fail are;

·Cables

·Alternators

·Fuel pumps

·Starter motors

·Drive plats

·Gear boxes

·Batteries

·Water pumps

·Couplings

·Engine mounts

Failures
are typically due to; lack of servicing, condensation getting into the
components, excessive or harsh use, vibration, accidental damage, wear and
tear, old-age, misalignment of parts, hitting underwater objects and the effect of pollutants such as diesel,
oil or anti-freeze.

Managing
Director, Stephanie Horton, comments: “Folklore suggests the weather you have
on St Swithun’s day (15 July) will continue for 40 days. If this is the case, the prolonged heat may
take its toll on major components. To
ensure their smooth running, service and check all parts and carry spare
cables, a fan belt, impeller, spark plugs, fuel filter, bulbs, bolts, fuses,
oil and ‘stop leak’ or putty for an unexpected hull breach.

Replacement
parts cost, on average, between £20 (cables) and £1200 (gearbox), plus there
are labour charges. River Canal Rescue
includes replacement parts within its membership package, covering up to £1000
of parts per repair, labour and VAT*.

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

River Canal Rescue Managing
Director, Stephanie Horton, is asking insurers to review their clams handling processes
in order to get boaters back on the water within days of an incident. During a presentation at the recent Crick
Boat Show, Stephanie emphasised the speed at which claims can be resolved if
the insurer runs an approved repairer scheme.

When an incident occurs, insurers typically require
claimants to register the claim and complete and return a notification form
with a minimum of two repair/replacement quotes. Upon approval, the claimant is left to
progress and pay for the work, submit an invoice and wait for reimbursement.

River Canal Rescue estimates this process, on average, takes
between two weeks and three months.

Insurers running an approved repairer scheme, however, have
authorised River Canal Rescue’s subsidiary firm, Canal Contracting, to make
repairs up to an agreed limit, so there’s no need to source and pay contractors
up front. The breakdown specialist says
this process; from notification to repair, can take one or two days as often
only a single call is needed to the insurer for the claim to be registered,
authorised and progressed.

Stephanie went on to outline common causes of claims, such
as navigational errors, grounding, accidental damage and vandalism and
explained how to reduce further losses.
She also put insurance jargon into plain English and advised on
claimants’ responsibilities.

Stephanie comments: “Boaters, particularly recreational
ones, who insure with firms without this scheme, tend to resent the amount of
time it takes to get their craft repaired and one of their biggest frustrations
is having to return home to complete a claim form and source quotes/failure
reports in order to obtain repair authorisation. This takes up time and can involve a fair
amount of travel to locate suitable contractors – all before anything is
agreed.

“Insurers must adapt their processes and take into account
the stress and trauma often faced by boaters when they make a claim and
equally, claimants need to understand the requirements and limitations of their
policy.”

River
Canal Rescue is urging boat owners to check their water pumps and act upon any
leaks, no matter how small, after responding to seven times more call-outs in
May and June.

The
inland waterway assistance firm receives on average, three calls per month for
broken water pumps, yet in the last two months it attended 21. The first
week in July has already seen six calls for assistance.

Managing
Director, Stephanie Horton, comments: “In many cases it’s where people neglect
to put right a small leak so it develops into something more serious or they
fail to replace their impeller, which only has a one year warranty and should
be changed every year.”

The
symptoms of a broken pump, which is typically caused by a faulty impeller or
seal, are; a water leak, the pump not working at all or the engine
over-heating. Stephanie continues: “It’s important to get leaks sorted as
soon as possible, as the loss of water from the cooling system due to pump
failure can result in engine damage if overheating is not picked up, and this
can occur within 15 minutes in severe cases.”